The Collectivity of Saint-Martin confirms that its president and two vice-presidents were interviewed, from Thursday, October 10 in the morning, by the services of the Gendarmerie de la Savane, as part of an investigation conducted by the prosecutor of the Republic of Basse-Terre, relating to the rules of procedure for the award of certain public contracts, she said in a press release late Friday afternoon.
"This hearing under police custody, starting at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, is the legal procedure in the context of an investigation of this type which is not exceptional and in no way reflects the implication or the guilt of respondents. The principle of the presumption of innocence must absolutely prevail, including in all comments and articles published on the subject, ”she explains.
The Collectivity also wishes to indicate that “this investigation takes place in a context of consultation between the State and the Collectivity over the actual duration of the so-called“ imperious emergency ”period decreed after the passage of hurricane IRMA. The services granted having been ordered in this context of crisis by the Collectivity ”.
"After these interrogations, the public prosecutor's office did not consider it useful to seize an examining magistrate, no indictment was therefore ordered. The president and his two vice-presidents have regained their freedom, ”she added.
The Collectivity recalls, “for those who have forgotten, that the allocation of these services was carried out in a strongly degraded territorial context after the passage of Hurricane IRMA. Indeed, the Collectivity was obliged to respond to multiple emergencies, while its administration was, itself, totally disaster. A period that spanned several months, during which many acts were carried out to respond to the immediate emergency of the territory and its inhabitants, with the plausible risk of administrative errors in the execution chain, given new and degraded circumstances.
In order to best assist the investigators in their questions, the elected officials interviewed transmitted in all transparency and in good faith, all the administrative documents and information requested by the judicial authority.
The Collectivity of Saint-Martin remains at the disposal of justice in order to respond to any other request in the context of this procedure. "
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